


Audience

by Totalspiffage



Series: Playing For Keeps Verse [2]
Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age II
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Gen, M/M, double twin hawkes, playing for keeps verse, same au as my tattoo and pawnshop fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-18
Updated: 2016-03-18
Packaged: 2018-05-27 10:28:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6280936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Totalspiffage/pseuds/Totalspiffage
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Carver breaks his foot in a bar fight. The Hawkes- Garrett, Marian, and Bethany- all go together with him to a little hole-in-the-wall clinic all the way in Darktown, and Garrett thinks the doctor is hot.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Audience

**Author's Note:**

> This is basically a side story to a small event mentioned in chapter 4 of [Playing for Keeps](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6039607/chapters/13847887), my Merrill/Isabela modern AU fic, but this can totally stand alone.
> 
> What you need to know is: the Wardens in this universe are educators and a little like the red cross/doctors without borders. The Blights have been over for centuries now. Magic is also a bit weaker, so spirits can't really come through easily, meaning justice is a very close spirit advisor for Anders. Also there are four Hawke siblings and they're fine, obviously.
> 
> Marian is mostly sarcastic, but very aggressive when worried. Garrett is diplomatic but has streaks of sarcastic personality. :)

Garrett had Carver’s arm slung around his neck, Bethany hanging nervously behind while Marian led the way, her phone open to Maps.

“It’s just up ahead, the page for it says to look for the light on a place near the sanitation building because the address numbers fell off.” Marian said, her tone stony and commanding, for once. She only ever got this way when it came to her family, but Garrett always found it so different from her usual relaxed, casual demeanor. She was anxious, and they all could tell.

“Maker, it hurts like hell,” Carver griped, adjusting his grip around Garrett’s neck. He’d resisted at first, assuring his siblings that he could make it down to Darktown on his own with a broken foot. Garrett had had to practically carry him out to their beat up old SUV, which only the oldest two could drive.

“Don’t you worry, Carver. We’ll get it healed up,” Bethany said, catching up to her brothers and putting a comforting hand on her twin's back. She’d done what she could, with what little healing magic she knew, but she couldn’t set a bone. It had, at least, stopped the bleeding long enough on the outside.

Luckily for their younger brother, Marian had been at the Hanged Man long enough to finish the fight her brother had started. They’d both gotten a week ban from the bar near the family's apartment, but Marian at least had left Carver’s pride mostly in tact before rushing to assist him. They'd gone home to assess the damage, and now it was fairly late, but the clinic, luckily, was still open.

This was why their mother was worried about the boy going off on his own. If he went off to university in some far-off town (that they most likely couldn’t afford), Marian and Garrett wouldn’t be there to save him. Bethany may go and tag along, but there was no doubt Carver would only spurn her offers of help out of pride, they knew. Garrett had to worry about his younger brother. After all, there's only so much you can help someone that insists they don't need it.

The light came into view, a small building in the cramped streets of Darktown, most too narrow to drive on, forcing the Hawkes to park several streets away. As they walked through the door and a small Ferelden woman approached them.

“Oh, broken foot? Set him over on that bed back there, the doctor will be by shortly.” she waved them in, pointing to an area in the back. The doctor in question was currently bent over another patient a few beds away. 

Garrett and Bethany looked over curiously- they both felt the pull of magic at the same time. The doctor was also a healer, it seemed. It was uncommon. Most chantry goers still insisted that science was superior and separate from magic. Templars didn't allow many healers to obtain medical practicing licenses for fear the "overuse of magic would draw demons". Templars didn't exactly lock mages up anymore, but they did what they could, and sometimes that was enough.

Carver gave another moan of pain as Marian helped Garrett set him down, “Careful, don’t make it worse. We only just got here.”

“Oh stuff it, big baby. You’re lucky mum had plans tonight. She’d be beside herself with worry if she knew where we were right now,” Marian said, rolling her eyes as the doctor approached.

He had blonde hair, long and tied back into a half ponytail, and he looked as though he needed a good night’s rest or seven. _Dr. Anders,_ his nametag read. Still, he smiled politely and nodded to them.

“Welcome to the clinic. I’m Anders. I’ll be taking care of you all today. What seems to be the issue with your foot, ser?” He seemed Ferelden, which was a welcome sound in a foreign country that the family was still getting used to.

Carver sighed, “Guy had me pinned. Heard a crunch. Broke skin too.”

“Pain on a 1-10 scale?” Anders motioned for him to lay down, and Carver winced, but managed it. Anders picked his leg up by the calf to examine it, before starting to unwrap the bandages Bethany had applied not an hour earlier.

“Five,” Carver said, hesitating. Anders raised an eyebrow and touched a part of the foot with two fingers. Carver’s face screwed up in pain and he relented, “Alright, 8! Maker!”

Marian turned away to giggle, Bethany looked sympathetic.

“How long will it take for him to recover?” Garrett asked, genuinely worried about how Carver was going to fare. Their mother could find out the whole cause of the situation, and the last thing Carver needed was their mother griping at him for starting fights. Carver was insufferable, yes, but he was also frustrated, and Garrett knew their mother wouldn’t understand.

Anders turned to the other man and smiled, “Luckily, not long at all. I can set the bone, and, with your permission, I can heal it so it will fully recover overnight.”

“Wow, you can do that? I could barely manage stopping the bleeding,” Bethany said, quietly. Anders gave her a quick grin.

“I’m just naturally gifted,” he said, winking. Garrett immediately wished he'd been on the receiving end of it instead of his sister, who just laughed.

“Yes, heal it just- agh- do something,” Carver said, hissing through his teeth at the pain.

“This is going to hurt,” Anders said, before doing something that made Carver yelp and grip the bed hard. Then the hum of magic again filled the air, the soft blue glow soothing the pain and making Carver sigh.

“Much better,” he said, nodding.

Anders set his leg down and turned to the others, “Make sure he keeps the weight off of it until morning. The magic needs some time to settle in.”

Marian was the first to respond, this time, “And how much do we owe you?” So she was still worried about the cost, Garrett knew. He put his hand on her shoulder and felt her posture relax just slightly. They'd always been on the same wavelength.

Anders just shook his head, “If you like, I take donations, but this is a free clinic, funded by the Arlessa of Amaranthine personally.”

Beth gasped, “You’re a Warden, then? Is this a Warden clinic?”

“Not officially,” Anders said, “I was in a circle most of my life, I managed to get into the Warden school in Amaranthine for my doctorate. The Arlessa is a personal friend. When I said I wanted to leave the Warden service afterward, she understood. She helped me get set up here.”

“The Warden chapter used to be so small, but then that school opened. I wish I could have joined while we were still in Ferelden,” Carver said, sitting up gingerly.

“Oh, like you’d like going around helping people and all that junk they do since the Blights ended.” Marian rolled her eyes. She was relaxed once more, going back to her usual pattern of teasing her younger sibling.

Anders snorted, “It does get a little tiring, but it’s good work. If the Templars from the Circle hadn’t tried to get my medical license taken away for “irresponsible use of magic”, I would have still been with them.”

Garrett smiled at the healer, “I understand it’s even more vigilant here. No worries from us, we understand. We can’t donate right now, but if you ever need a favor, the Hawkes are here. Even if it’s just to look tough and scary and stand outside.”

“I’m particularly good at that, obviously,” Bethany chimed in with a smile.

Anders laughed, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he smiled at them, “I’ll keep that in mind. I might actually need something, if you have a car.”

“We do, actually. I don’t mind giving rides wherever you might need,” Garrett said. He paused for a second, realizing the double entendre a little too late. His cheeks reddened, but he pretended not to notice his mistake as his sister chimed in.

“Provided you’re alright with our beat up old Ferelden Rover, of course.”

“Here, what’s your number? I’ll text you so you have my name and number.” Garrett took out his cell and Anders gave it to him.

Behind their brother’s back, Bethany and Marian shared a look with each other. Carver looked at his twin questioningly, but she shook her head.

Anders grinned, seemingly happier than he'd been when they'd walked in. "Well, hopefully I see more of you, Garrett Hawke," Anders said, looking at his phone smugly.

As they walked out, Marian punched Garrett lightly in the arm and laughed, “You are _not_ subtle, _brother dearest_. I love you, but that was pitifully transparent.”

“What even was that about?” Carver said, still clueless, as he leaned on Garrett's shoulder for some support to keep the weight off his ankle.

“Your gaydar is useless Carv,” Bethany said, with a chuckle, "Didn't you see how jealous Garrett got when the doctor winked at me?"

“Oh. OH. Really, Gare? You had to seduce the doctor?” Carver groaned and shook his head.

Garrett just sighed, securing Carver's hold on his shoulder, “Remind me never to flirt with cute doctors while I have an audience ever again.”

**Author's Note:**

> Also, Carver is a bit whiny in this, but tbh if ALL of my siblings insisted on going with me for a fairly simple matter, I'd be annoyed too. I do love that boy.


End file.
